Apparatus for separating composite oils into component parts



Decgzs, 1924.

F. E. VAN TILBURG APPARATUS FOR SEPARAHNG COMPOSITE OILS NTO COMPONENT PARTS 3 SheetS-Sheef.

Filed Jan. 25, 1923 NVENTOR: /4 FRANK E. VAN WLB/.IRQ

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ATToR v Dec, 23, 1924.V

1,520,161 I F. E. VAN TILBURG APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING COMPOSITE OILS INTO COMPONENT PARTS FRANK E VAN 77/ BURC1 5v {j/L.

Def, 23, 1924.

F. E. VAN TILBURG APPARATUSfFOR SEPARATING COMPOSITE OILS INTO COMPONENT PARTS 5sheets-sneet Filed Jan. 25', 1925 A TToRNYs.

BURG, a citizen fing at Minneapolis, 1n the county ci Henne- Aa heavier distillate or be gasoline and FRANKT.. VANTLBURG, OF MNNEPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

APPARATUS FOR SEPRATING COMFOSITE OILS lNTO COMPONENT PARTS.

Applcaton led January 25, 1923. Serial No.

To all whom t may cof/wem.'

Be it known that I, FRANK E. VAN Tit.- ot the United States, residin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Composite Gils into omponent Parts, ot which the following is a specification.

My inventionA relates to apparatus for separating composite oils into component parts. More particularly, it relates to separating the lighter petroleum products from the heavier petroleum products of crude oil. The objects ot' the invention are to increase the yield ot' gasoline or lighter products and to reduce the Jfuel consun'iption required for the operation. The invention is based on the lprinciple that a petroleum distillate when once separated from the original mass of crude oil'should not again bc-mixed with allowed to mix with the original mass for the reason that itrequires less heat tillates when not mixed with heavier distillatcs than it requires when the lighter distillates are allowed to flow back into the still to mix -witli the original mass and be re-distilled when the mass reaches a higher 4tempel-attire. The invention is also based npon'the well known tact that when there is only a comparatively small difference in temperature between the initial boiling point and the end point of the distillate, it is possible to recover a larger percentage of light petroleum product or` obtain an increased yield ot' produets'ot what is known as low end points or low boiling points such as gasoline and naphtha. By end point is 'meant that characteristic ot' a so-called distillate which indicates the temperature at which the last of any particular sample is carried ott' in gaseous form. The genera reiinery practice has been to re-run the lighter distillates recovered trom crude oil whose end points are higher than those ot when this is done, it requires extra fuel to bring the distillatcs to the temperature required toi'n vaporization. In retineries which e1nploy '\\liat is known as the continuous system or a battery of stills consisting of two or more. it has been customary to allow the distillates which tlow back from the vapor lines of the stills-to go into the original mass of that these distillates become mixed .with

to re-disti'll the light dis-.

oil with the result the original mass. It requires greater heat. to re-distill them when thus mixed than it does to re-distill them when kept separate. I accomplish the objects of my invention by distilling the -composite oil, trapping back the condensate from the distilled vapors and re-distilling the condensate un mixed with the original mass of crude oil by the same source ot' heat employed in the initial distillation.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description and the novel features ot my invention ideawvill be particuf larly pointed out in the claims. 1,.

In the accompanying vdrawings which illastra-te the application t my invention,- Fig. 'l is a view partly in verticalsection and partly in side elevation showing an apparatiis for carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 is a View partly in vertical section and partly in elevation showing a slight n'iodiiication. Fig. 2l is a view substantially in section on the line {iff} of Fig. l. Fig. t is a fragmentary view corresponding to Fig. 1 and showing a, slight.modification. Fig. 5 is a View in horizontal section von the line 5-5 of Fig. '-t. Fig. (i is an enlarged view in section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the construction shown in the drawings, l provide a pluralityv of stills or boilers l, 9., 3, 4, and 5 which are placed above tireboxes (i, i', 8, t), and lt), respectively, which furnish heat for .'aporizing the oils in the stills. The composite. oil to be separated is ted into still l. in `suitable manner,

as by means ot a'pipe l1 and the stills are connected in series by pipes 12, 13, llt, and l5 which incline downwardly as Vthey eX- tend from a still to 'the next? one. in the. scries. lipes iti, 1T. lit, it) and 2() connect the upper portions ol' the stills in sin-cession to places somewhat above. the. lower ends of separators 2l.' "22. 2?, 2l. and 25, these separators consisting ot' casings which are preterably cylindrical and which contain a series of ballies 2G. From the top ot' the separators, pipes 2.7, 2h. 29,130 and ill lead to condensers such as the condenser rl shown in Fig. 2. From the bottoms of the separators, pipes 33, M 235,736, and 5T lead bach respectively into the'stills l, 2, f5, t, and 5 so that liquid condensi'iiig in the expansion chambers of the separators will flow back into the stills. These pipes, however, instead of de livering this condensate into the original pipe 36 which extends into the still 4 is provided with a cock 4S and above this cock` a downwardly inclined pipe 44 connects the pipe 36 with the interior of the pan 38 so that when the cock is closed the condensate forming in the separator 24 will be trapped back into the pan which is inthe still 1. The pans 38, 39, 40, and 41 are connected in series by pipes 45, 46, and 47 which incline downwardly as they extend from one pan .to

` the next in the series. The pan 41 in the still 4 instead of being connected with the p'an 42 in the still 5 is provided at one end with a wall which is lower than the remainder of the vertical wall of the pan so that the condensate which is received in the pan 41 and is not vaporized may overtlow into a pan 48 supported in the still 4 'and provided with an overflow pipe 49 leading to any suitable container'. The stillv 5 is provided with an overflow pipe 50 Vwhich may lead to any suitable container. Fig. 2 shows a slight modification in regard to the still 1, this figure showing a pipe 33 which leads back into the original mass of liquid in the still instead of leading into the pan 38. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show a slight niodilication in which the pans are replaced by coils of pipe 51 lying in a horizontal planein the stills and having perforations 52 in their upper sides tor escape of vapor. rlhe coils of pipe in the successive stills are connected by pipes in the samemanner that the corresponding pans are connected.

The operation and advantages of my invention will now be obvious. ln a battery of five stills such as shown in Fig. 1, the kerosene will be distilled from still 5 and it is contemplated that a temperature ot about 500 F. will be employed which is suliiciently high to vaporize all light components of the oil so that none ot these light components can pass into still 5 and go into the cheaper kerosene. lWhile it may require a temperature of 5000 F. to vaporize the lighter products from the original mass otl oil, the condensate which flows back from the separa tors placed above the stills can be re-vapor ized and made into a lighter product with a' temperature ol from 40()o to 425O F. and by carrying these*trapped-back coudensates into the auxiliary' still in' the main still 1 and allowing portions ot' the condensates to flow into tl i auxiliary stills in the succeeding stills 2 and 3, the tcn'iperatuie iu these latter stills will be sulliciently high to re-vaporize a portion ofthe condensates. Furthermore, by maintaining a temperature sutliciently high, it is impossible for any light comxponents to pass into still 5 and the trappedback condensates from the stills are kept cirf culating between still 1 and still 4 until such,

condensates become sulliciently heavy so that f flow through the pipe 49 so thattheycan be recovered while the oil reaching the still 5 which is too heavy to be vaporiz'ed is permitted to overflow through the pipe 50 so that it can be recovered. It should be borne in mind that the condensate which is trapped-back from the separators is very hot and the redistillation ol these components is continued without allowing them to cool. In the gen-4 eral practice now employed, it iscustomary to accumulate the components whose end points aie'higher than those-ol the different grades ot' gasoline and then rerun su'ch c0m ponen'ts which, of course, means loss of fuel. An important feature of my .invention consists in the use oit auxiliary stills such as the pans or coils which prevent the trapped-back condensates forined'in the separators or fractioning equipment'i'froin flowing `back Vinto the original mass of oil. The invention broadly considered includes the idea ot returning the condensates trapped-back from any 1 ofthe vapor lines to auxiliary stills placed in any ot the main stills. The eniployment of this invention increases the yield of gasoline, saves fuel and increases the capacity of the plant.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for separating composite oils into component parts comprising a plurality of main stills connected in series, an auxiliary still in each of said main stills, the earlier of said auxiliary stills being connected with each other in series, a plurality of separators connected respectively with said .main stills for receiving the vapors therefrom, and means 'for trapping back .into said auxiliary stills the condensates forming in said separators whereby said condensates will be redistilled unmixcdwith the original mass ot' oil and by the same source, of heat employed in the initial distillation.

2. Apparatus for separating composite oils into component partscomprising a plurality of main stills connected in series, an auxillary`still in each of'said mail/1 stills, the earlier ones ot said auxiliary stills being connected with each other in series, a plurah ity ol" separators connected respectively with said main stills for receiving the vapors therefrom, and means foi-trapping back into the first auxiliary still the condensates forniing in the separator which is connected with the main still containing the last one of the connected auxiliary stills whereby said condensates will be redistilled unmixed with the original mass of oil and by the same source of heat employed in the initial distillation.

3. Apparatus for separating composite oils into component parts comprising a plurality of main stills connected in series, an overflow pipe leading from the last one of said stills, an auxiliary still in each of said main stills, theearlier ones of said auxiliary stills being connected with each other in series, a plurality of separators connected respectively with said main Stills for receiv ing the vapors therefrom, means vfor trapping,f back into said auxiliary stills lthe condensates forming in the separators connected therewith respectively, and means for trap ping nach into an earlier auxiliary still the' mindensates forming in one of the later separators whereby said condensates will be redistiiled unmixed with the original mass of oil and by the same source of heat employed in the initial distillation.

4. Apparatus for separating composite oils into component parts comprising a plufor receiving the vapors therefrom, meansfor trappingback into said auxiliary stills the condensates formingin the separators connected therewith, means for trapping back into the first of said auxiliary stills thev condensates forming in next to the last of said separators whereby said condensates will be redistilled unmixed with the original mass -of oil and by the same. source of heat employed in the initial distillation, a' second auxiliary still in next to the last of said main stills, and an overfiow pipe leading from said last mentioned auxiliary still.

In testimony Where-of I hereunto aix my signature.

FRANK E. VAN'TILBURG.

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